Top 10 Language Myths Tips 2011

Top 10 Language Myths Tips 2011

10th A sentence of execution on a very long sentence. Wrong! They can actually be quite short. From the perspective of the sentence, independent clauses are piled up without the use of punctuation or a conjunction. If you write, I'm glad I'm glad that one sentence without a semicolon, colon or a dash between two independent clauses, it is a run on sentence, even though it has only six words.

9th You should not start a sentence with the word however. Wrong! It is good to start a sentence with but as long as you use a comma after it when it means "nevertheless."

8. Regardless is not a word. Wrong! It is the same way regardless of a word is not the word. They are not official. They are not standard. You should not use them if you want to be taken seriously, but have gained wide enough use to qualify for the words.

7th There is only one way to write the possessive form of a word that ends in S. Wrong! It is a matter of style. For example, in the statutes of Kansas speech, you can just put an apostrophe at the end of Kansas or you can end an apostrophe s Kansas. Both ways are acceptable.

6. The passive voice is always wrong. Wrong! The passive voice is when the name of the person who is responsible for the action. An example is the phrase: "Mistakes were made," because they say they have made mistakes. If you do not know who is responsible for an action, passive voice may be the best option.

5th Ie and eg mean the same thing. Wrong! Eg means "example" and that means roughly "in other words." You use, for example to provide an incomplete list of examples, and use is to provide a complete list or statement of clarification .

4. Before you use the words that begin with consonants, and before words beginning with vowels. Wrong! Before you use the words that begin with consonant sounds, and before words beginning with vowels. So if you were to write that someone has an MBA instead of MBA, because even though MBA starts am, which is a consonant, it starts to play the voice and - MBA.

3. It is a mistake to answer the question "How are you?" with the phrase "I am." Wrong! Am is a linking verb and verbs of the links must be modified by adjectives such as good. For though it can also act as an adjective, is also okay to say "am" but some grammarians believe "I am" should be used to talk about his health, not generally available.

2. Do not split infinitives. Wrong! Nearly all grammarians want to boldly say it's OK to split infinitives. An infinitive is a two-word form of a verb. An example is "telling." In a split infinitive, another word separates the two parts of the verb. "To say boldly" is a split infinitive with boldness, apart from counting.

And now, the number one myth of grammar, which to my Twitter friends chose over infinite division [fanfare music]

1. You should not stop a preposition phrase. Wrong! You should not stop a sentence when the preposition phrase means the same thing if you leave the preposition. Means "Where are you?" is wrong because "Where are you?" means the same thing. But there are many sentences where the final preposition is part of a phrasal verb or elements must be kept by the closed, stilted sentences: I'm going to vomit, now kiss and make up, and what are you waiting for just a few examples.

You can find more information about each of these myths Grammar Girl quickanddirtytips.com archives.